RTGC Receives Excellence in Community Award
This story, which was first announced in October 2023, appeared in RTGC’s recent 2023-24 Annual Report on impact.
At Summit 2023, the annual networking and training event organized by Rebuilding Together for all affiliates nationwide, RTGC was recognized with the Excellence in Community Engagement Award for its Building a Healthy Neighborhood (BaHN) program in historic Hidden Valley.
“Rebuilding Together of Greater Charlotte has not only excelled in providing essential repairs to Hidden Valley homes but has also taken a proactive and holistic approach to community engagement,” said Jodie Liddy, executive director of Rebuilding Together Colorado in presenting the award.
“Their dedication to listening, collaborating, and empowering the community has had a transformative impact on Hidden Valley, turning it into a healthier and more vibrant neighborhood.”
The program started critical home repair, accessibility modifications, and community revitalization projects in Hidden Valley in 2022 and is scheduled to complete the last ones in 2025.
“I would like to thank Rebuilding Together of Greater Charlotte for helping those homeowners who qualified for free home repairs, especially those seniors of the Hidden Valley Neighborhood,” said Marjorie Parker, president of the Hidden Valley Community Association Charlotte, one of the organizations RTGC has collaborated with to source applications and ideas for community revitalization projects.
To date, RTGC has completed more than 50 critical home repair and accessibility modification projects for low-income homeowners in Hidden Valley in addition to three community projects. When the projects are complete in Hidden Valley, RTGC will have conducted repairs on close to 70 homes in the neighborhood.
“This project is the first of this magnitude in Hidden Valley that I have heard of,” said Parker. “So often seniors who have worked and contributed to society all of their lives are left out. Being a senior myself and having many friends who are seniors, I know that we are those members of society who don't ask for help. A lot of times we suffer in silence.”
Before any repair projects even began, RTGC’s commitment to community engagement began in Hidden Valley. Starting in 2021 and throughout the entire work in the community, team members actively participated in the Hidden Valley Community Association meetings. They engaged with local community leaders to receive community input before offering services in the neighborhood and understand their vision for the community. They sent postcards to homeowners, strategically placed yard signs, and sent out email blasts to disseminate crucial information.
The dedication to building strong community relationships extends to local community development corporations and other nonprofits in the area. These collaborations have created a robust network of resources for Hidden Valley residents. Staff connects homeowners with additional services offered by nonprofits in the area.
The initiative in Hidden Valley has reached local schools, parks, walking trails, and other gathering spaces in the community.
In addition to the award-winning work in Hidden Valley, RTGC has also expanded its BaHN program to four communities in North Mecklenburg — Davidson West in Davidson, East Catawba and Smithville in Cornelius, and Pottstown in Huntersville. The BaHN program unites Rebuilding Together’s strategic community development approach, the Community Revitalization Partnership, and our core practice model, Safe and Healthy Housing. Through Safe and Healthy Housing, we seek to advance health equity by improving health and housing outcomes for our neighbors in need in economically distressed communities.
“As the President of the HVCAC, I am so grateful for Rebuilding Together of Greater Charlotte. I wholeheartedly support their work and mission,” Parker said.
This story was featured in RTGC’s 2023-24 Annual Report. For more stories like this on our impact in the past fiscal year, please review the report.